By Jingo, We've Gone & Ruddy Done It!

[BlueStringPudding]

Oh Poo !!!

 

Oh, pootanks!

[BlueStringPudding]

So... any welders out there with a penchant for stringers and a sense of urgency...?

 

Edited June 5, 2007 by BlueStringPudding

[Supermalc]

Well I've just helped a woman service her 3 year old Beta (Kabuta) with the 750 hour service for 30quid and a meal with wine, so I'd love to help.

 

Only snag is I don't have the equipment, other than a little air cooled welder. This would do the job, but would not cut the steel out, need a plasma cutter for that. Also not sure exactly what you want, nor what the job entails.

[BlueStringPudding]

Well I've just helped a woman service her 3 year old Beta (Kabuta) with the 750 hour service for 30quid and a meal with wine, My kind of currency! so I'd love to help. Thanks, mate!

 

Only snag is I don't have the equipment, other than a little air cooled welder. This would do the job, but would not cut the steel out, need a plasma cutter for that.

 

Also not sure exactly what you want, nor what the job entails. Neither do I yet. Engineer promised to phone me today once his welder comes back in as he's not given me an estimate of time, cost or anything. I'll let you know when I hear from him if it sounds like a palava.

 

 

Thanks, Malc. This engineering company have been really slack and have been stringing us along a bit, biding their time. It's annoying because they know we've deadlines to meet ourselves and we could have taken our custom elsewhere had they not pretended the estimate/work start date would be coming any day now. Had they not left it till yesterday to start the work (14th May the excuses started ) then a problem like this wouldn't have affected our now very limited schedule for getting the boat down to Warwickshire. I'm going in to hospital in a couple of weeks and have to be moored in Warwick by then or we is really scuppered!

 

Oh well, something'll happen, I suppose. Spilt milk, boohoo and all that.

[Keeping Up]

One possible solution if all else fails would be to get someone else to move the boat from Sawley to Warwickshire for you.

[BlueStringPudding]

Okay, update time.

 

I spoke to chap at the boatyard just now. He seemed to think that the welding work would be done by the beginning of next week. Having reiterated our sense of urgency over this and how the repeated delay to starting the work has left us really tight for time, I decided to tell him our schedule for the next few days! (E.g. getting some of our stuff onto the boat, cleaning the place up (at least the bits they're not faffing with), wiring in the fridge and getting down to Warwick by the end of the week )

 

He has assured me that the engine will be serviced, Eberspaecher serviced, new batteries wired in and stern tube repacked/greased by this weekend. And that the pootank/welding/stringers work all finished Monday. I'd like to think he'll honour that this time. But we'll see.

 

Kev's going up there tomorrow to do some tinkering elsewhere on the boat (his presence should help motivate them somewhat) and they know that we'll both be there Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. So let's hope they get cracking now.

 

One possible solution if all else fails would be to get someone else to move the boat from Sawley to Warwickshire for you.

 

 

Yes - could be a final back-up plan if everything goes t*ts up!

[BlueStringPudding]

And we're off....

 

Leaving for Sawley right now. So I'll be off the internet for a couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll be back in Warwick in time, meaning we've got a week or so of cruising in every daylight hour possible, eating on the run and generally being far speedier than one is ever meant to be on the canals. Oh, well, we'll take life at a more leaisurely pace once we get there.

 

See you anon.

Lisa

[Barry]

Good for you Lisa - damn but you must be excited....and happy

 

have a good time

 

I aint envious at all - not one little bit

[Scotty]

Great to hear that Lisa, hope you have a good journey.

 

Hopefully i'll be in a similar situation soon

[BlueStringPudding]

Just to keep you all up-to-date, after an epic journey through searing heat, pouring rain, thunderstorms, a couple of jammed lock paddles and one running-aground, Kev and I made it safe, sound and slightly damp to Warwick!

 

We're living aboard "HMS DIY SOS" which is the boat's temporary nickname till we get the basics sorted out (half a laminate floor down at the mo, no working fridge and a suspicious Eberspacher (to be discussed elsewhere on this forum!)). At the weekend we're clearing the last of our stuff from the flat in Stratford, so we'd better get the floor sorted at least by then!

[drunkensailor]

Just to keep you all up-to-date, after an epic journey through searing heat, pouring rain, thunderstorms, a couple of jammed lock paddles and one running-aground, Kev and I made it safe, sound and slightly damp to Warwick!

 

We're living aboard "HMS DIY SOS" which is the boat's temporary nickname till we get the basics sorted out (half a laminate floor down at the mo, no working fridge and a suspicious Eberspacher (to be discussed elsewhere on this forum!)). At the weekend we're clearing the last of our stuff from the flat in Stratford, so we'd better get the floor sorted at least by then!

A fully paid up boater now... welcome!

 

[BlueStringPudding]

At lunchtime today I remembered that Jessops have had my first photos of the boat sitting on their shelves for weeks - I forgot to pick them up. So I've finally collected them and put them in my Members Gallery area entitled "Most Game"

 

There are some photos that Kev took when he went up to JBJ Marine Engineering in Sawley (one of) the weekend they were (supposed to have) finished working on the boat. Work in progress, let's say.

 

Somewhere at home I have another disposable camera with piccies of how it looked once the new woodwork was down when we moved aboard.

 

And now that I've unpacked my digital camera, I should be able to add images of the project as it takes shape. I'll keep you all posted!

 

[Ian_L]

The Eberspacher needs servicing, there's a couple of leaking windows, the fridge works only intermittently (so will be chucked) and the back step needs its drainage sorting out; but other than that, it's just the spongey floor at the back that needs gutting (and mushrooms harvested!). But that's a big job and we need to find someone who can do the carpentry.

 

Cosmetically there's lots to do, but that's what we wanted. We can make it our own bit by bit.

 

Similar to mine. I've just got a good deal on a BP and like yours there are areas with spongy floors. The compressed woodshavings they used were rubbish (to put it politely). If you are remotely handy (and I am probably about 5 out of 10) you can sort it yourself. I have just hacked the spongy sections out and patched in 3/4" marine ply blockboard and packed them to the right level with treated batons of wood. I will then cover in a rubber floating floor underlay and fit click-in floorboards. Not a difficult job... honest. Loads of grabfil, packing etc with everything treated with good quality varnishy type stuff and the jobs done! The leaking windows are easy to fix by clearing out the drainage channels and fitting new self-adhesive window seal and painting the frames with hammerite metal paint. Your back step has a drainage hole but no doubt, like mine, it will be gunged up.. easy to clean out

cheers

Ian

[BlueStringPudding]

Similar to mine. I've just got a good deal on a BP and like yours there are areas with spongy floors. The compressed woodshavings they used were rubbish (to put it politely). If you are remotely handy (and I am probably about 5 out of 10) you can sort it yourself. I have just hacked the spongy sections out and patched in 3/4" marine ply blockboard and packed them to the right level with treated batons of wood. I will then cover in a rubber floating floor underlay and fit click-in floorboards. Not a difficult job... honest. Loads of grabfil, packing etc with everything treated with good quality varnishy type stuff and the jobs done! The leaking windows are easy to fix by clearing out the drainage channels and fitting new self-adhesive window seal and painting the frames with hammerite metal paint. Your back step has a drainage hole but no doubt, like mine, it will be gunged up.. easy to clean out

cheers

Ian

 

 

Hi Ian,

 

We rate at about 2/10 in the handyman scale, so had a carpenter patch in the floors (if you look at the photos in my gallery there was quite a lot that needed "patching" in)!

 

Drainage in the back step is still a pain - it blocks at the slightest provovation and the doors are only just above the step height - meaning the risk of water coming in the back door is still worryingly high. We clear it out daily but also lay a towel in the step which soaks up a lot of water. Not pretty but does the job.

 

Haven't painted the window frames yet - will do though. Nor cleared the drainage channels - sorry to be dim... but are they the little hooded vents at the bottom of the frames?

[bottle]

Hi

 

I do not know your type of boat but would it be possible to drill more drainage holes in the step, (does it drain into the bilge) not too many obviously do not want you falling through is it possible to raise the 'step' but that may cause a trip hazard.

 

The hooded vents are the drainage channels.

[BlueStringPudding]

Hi

 

I do not know your type of boat but would it be possible to drill more drainage holes in the step, (does it drain into the bilge) not too many obviously do not want you falling through is it possible to raise the 'step' but that may cause a trip hazard.

 

The hooded vents are the drainage channels.

 

The broker "kindly" drilled an extra drainage hole which drained straight into the engine bilge! Marvellous! (That reminds me - I need to block that up and manually pump it out.)

 

But the original drainage hole has a pipe under it which takes the water into the main stern bilge area, to be pumped out by the bilge pump.

[bottle]

The broker "kindly" drilled an extra drainage hole which drained straight into the engine bilge! Marvellous! (That reminds me - I need to block that up and manually pump it out.)

 

But the original drainage hole has a pipe under it which takes the water into the main stern bilge area, to be pumped out by the bilge pump.

 

Ah! I thought that may be, sorry cannot think of another solution, of course the pipe is clear